NOVEMBER 26, 2014 (Toronto) – In a ruling dated November 25, 2014, the Federal Court has decided against overturning an environmental assessment on Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) proposal to extend the life of the four aging Darlington reactors.

The ruling was in response to a legal challenge brought by Greenpeace, Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and Northwatch. The groups, represented by lawyers from Ecojustice and CELA, had argued that the environmental assessment was not conducted in accordance with federal legislation.

The groups are currently reviewing the Court’s reasons for judgment, and have not yet decided whether an appeal will be pursued. “We are disappointed that the environmental assessment has been left untouched,” said Shawn-Patrick Stensil, an energy analyst with Greenpeace. “In our respectful view, the environmental assessment did not properly address fisheries impacts, nuclear waste management or the environmental effects of reactor accidents causing large radioactive releases.”

OPG plans to begin rebuilding the four aging Darlington reactors in 2016. It has yet to release a final cost-estimate for the project.